Editor: I am a lifelong educator. I have worked in the classroom and as an administrator since 1989. Retiring after 16 years as an administrator in the Cherry Creek School District. I have worked in elementary and middle levels as well as at the university level in area of educational leadership and curriculum & instruction. I am currently serving as a school administrator in an international school abroad. I have always maintained a strong belief in public schools and believe that public schools are critical in developing an educated and literate society and productive citizens.
Throughout my time as an educator, I have had the privilege to partner with parents for the betterment of our school and our students. It is my belief and experience that parent partnerships are critical to the success of school systems. I have also had the privilege to work with dedicated educators who spend their careers making a positive impact on students’ lives. It is this mutual commitment to students that propels us forward for the betterment of society as whole. Unfortunately, there has been a fracture in this partnership that needs to be mended.
Educators across the nation are expected to teach the standards in specific content areas. Those standards are set by the State and then local school systems take those standards to develop curriculum and learning progressions. How educators present facts, content and current events should be with a neutral lens, unbiased. This has always been our directive, but throughout the nation this has shifted and now personal bias has entered our schools through the curriculum design and has entered classrooms influencing children with content that contradicts parents beliefs and values. Some parents’ inclusivity has been negatively impacted from this process. Parents’ rights to oversee their child’s education has been limited and is now threatened. Some beliefs and customs of families have been challenged and discarded. We need to correct this so that parents are welcomed to the table when discussing what is taught. Bias from all parties needs to be challenged while honoring the rights and beliefs of families for inclusion of all.
We need state leaders who will hold accountable our school boards, State Board of Education, and make unions accountable just as our educators are and should be. We have let these groups overstep their boundaries and now some are detrimentally impacting our greatest resource – our children. I urge anyone in Senate District 27 to vote for Tom Kim on June 28. Tom is the right person for the job. He has two children in the Cherry Creek School District. He is invested in his children and all our children’s future.
— Joleta Gallozzi, via letters@sentinelcolorado.com
Agreed…